I write this in the middle of a thunderstorm. Although that seems a bit of an exaggeration: it’s raining and occasionally there’s thunder. It isn’t very stormy, though, and I haven’t yet seen any lightning. It’s a rainy end to June, after the sunshine and mini-heatwave of a few weeks ago. Typical of a Glastonbury… Continue reading Nature Notes: June 2022
Tag: nature notes
Nature Notes: May 2022
We’ve been (sort of; it’s laziness more than anything) participating in the No-Mow May thing, to allow for the clovers and daisies and other lawn wildflowers to grow for the bees and the butterflies. We’ve also found that we have bluebells at the edges of the lawn, and by the fence which backs onto the… Continue reading Nature Notes: May 2022
Nature Notes: April 2022
Spring is a time of notoriously changeable weather, and this April has been no different. It started warm and sunny, then dipped back to cold and hail, before recovering somewhat to end with sunshine. At least, it’s sunny as I write this. The patio doors are open and I’m listening to the birds singing. The… Continue reading Nature Notes: April 2022
Nature Notes: March 2022
British Summer Time began on Sunday. We’ve finally started having the sunshine and warmer temperatures that make it seem like summer might actually arrive as well, though there are forecasts for sleet later in the week. When I was a child, I was told that summer began when you could stand on seven daisies with… Continue reading Nature Notes: March 2022
Nature Notes: February 2022
Ah, it started so well, did February. There were days of sunshine and warming temperatures. The birds were out and about, the plants happy in their pots. And then last week, with Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin one after another, happened. It’s been wet and wild, grey and miserable, ever since. Because these haven’t been… Continue reading Nature Notes: February 2022
Nature Notes: January 2022
It’s a chilly grey Sunday afternoon as I write this, from under the blankets on the sofa. I can watch the garden from here, though there’s not much going on. The lawn is covered in brown leaves. Occasionally a sparrow or a robin hops about, sometimes pretending to be a leaf, poking at the soil… Continue reading Nature Notes: January 2022
Nature Notes: December 2021
As M does all of the garden-related work, I’ve let him do this post! "December has been a slow month in the garden for many different reasons: as well as work commitments and deadlines for reports, there have also been two large storms to contend with (although Arwen blew itself out before getting to us).… Continue reading Nature Notes: December 2021
Nature Notes: November 2021
Winter is definitely on its way now. The weather’s turned cold – the magnolia and fig tree have now been wrapped up in hessian in case of frost – and it’s getting dark from about half 4. On the other hand, the winter-flowering crocuses M planted last month have been and gone already. He’s going… Continue reading Nature Notes: November 2021
Nature Notes: October 2021
If I get a new craft room, it’s only fair that M gets a new garden. This time, it really is a garden and not just a balcony. And it came with a handy evergreen hedge. Not all of our plants and trees from the balcony came with us: some, like the cherry, were in… Continue reading Nature Notes: October 2021
Nature Notes: July 2021
It’s been a month of extremes, weather-wise. We’ve gone from heatwave to floods and thunderstorms. I prefer the thunderstorms. Especially when they bring temperatures to more bearable levels. Anything over 25oC is too hot, and even that’s a bit much. HebePied Piper On the other hand, the summer weather has brought more colour to the… Continue reading Nature Notes: July 2021